Superboy #177
Superboy #177
Cover Credits
Artist: Dick Giordano

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Title: "The Revenge of the Knave from Krypton"
Pages: 17

Feature(s):
Legion of Super-Heroes (of Earth-1)

Writer: Jerry Siegel
Penciller: John Forte
Inker: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: George Papp
Inker: Al Plastino

Reprinted From:
Adventure Comics #320 (1964)

Feature Character(s)

Supporting Character(s)

Villain(s)

  • Molock the Merciless and the Cosmic Spy League (also called the Cosmic Spy Legion; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

  • Worshippers at the Palace of Peace and Good Will and two unnamed students from Smallville High (no further appearances)
  • Radiation Roy (a rejected Legion applicant; next appearance in Adventure Comics #372)
  • Commander Kolar and the Inter-Stellar Counter-Intelligence Corps (no further appearances)
  • An unnamed 30th century tour guide, a female tourist, and two monorail passengers (no further appearances)
  • Two unnamed scientists (in flashback to Radiation Roy's origin; no further appearances)

Cameo Appearance(s)

  • Ron-Em and Leeta (Dev-Em's parents; in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Jor-El (in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Lara (in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Jonathan Kent (in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Martha Kent (in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Krypto (in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Dev-Em's accomplices, a group of scholars, a zookeeper, other inhabitants of Krypton, the citizens of Smallville (in flashback to Dev-Em's origin)
  • Braino (hero of planet Mrynah; as a statue in the Palace of Peace and Good Will)

Comments:
Part 2: "The Treachery of Molock the Merciless"

Synopsis:
Superboy leaves Smallville for the Legion's time era, and arrives in time to see an applicant, Radiation Roy, fail his tryout.

When the Legionnaires enter the Clubhouse, a detection device indicates an intruder in the building. Superboy and Mon-El capture him, and he turns out to be Dev-Em, the incorrigible Kryptonian youth Superboy had battled in his own time. He relates Dev-Em's misdeeds, and the other Legionnaires are ready to turn him over to the Inter-Stellar Counter-Intelligence Corps for punishment, but Dev-Em laughs, and tells them that he has now reformed, and is working for that organization.

His current task is to capture the sinister Molock the Merciless, head of the Cosmic Spy League. He has become close with the villain's underlings, and has tried to steal Legion security secrets, without actually revealing them, to ingratiate himself with the leader. The I.S.C.I.C. commander now asks the more experienced Superboy to take over the mission, and he agrees.

After disguising himself as Dev-Em, Superboy takes some fake Legion security gadgets with him, and travels to Molock's headquarters, where a beam teleports him to the master spy. Molock demands to know how Dev-Em made out with the Legion, and in response Superboy demonstrates the fake gadgets. Molock then opens a lead box, which he thinks contains Gold Kryptonite, intending to erase his spy's powers. When he orders his men to fire at Dev-Em and kill him, however, the disguise is blasted away to reveal Superboy, who then takes them all into custody.

Back with the Legion, Superboy learns that the real Dev-Em had known of the Gold Kryptonite, and had Proty II secretly tag along with him and transform himself into fake Gold Kryptonite, and replace the real thing. Proty then telepathically communicated with Superboy and told him of the scheme.

Before Superboy leaves for home, he and Mon-El ask Dev-Em to join the Legion, but he refuses, telling them his heart is with the I.S.C.I.C.

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